Food and family are synonymous for Esther Choi.

Long before Esther graduated from culinary school, opened six restaurants, beat the Titans on Bobby’s Triple Threat and became co-host of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, she grew up in her family’s New Jersey kitchen, standing at the hip of her halmoni (grandma). Despite being about 7,000 miles away from her family’s roots in South Korea, Esther was able to immerse herself in Korean culture through the recipes her grandma, Jungok Lee, taught her.

Since these moments were such a pivotal part of the award-winning chef’s life — and subsequent career — Esther’s upcoming cookbook pays tribute to Jungok. Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother debuts October 27, 2026, but you need not wait until then to sample some of her family favorites at your own table. Esther is dishing up many of these in her new Food Network YouTube series, Cooking With Choi.

During a recent episode, Esther invites her sister (and niece!) to the table to share one of the dishes the sisters adored as children — and still do to this day: hot pot.

“Jeongol, also known as hot pot, reminds me of my mom. She used to make this for me all the time growing up,” Esther said as she walked through the market gathering several varieties of wild mushrooms.

“Everything is arranged in the pot like a centerpiece. It is such a showstopper,” she adds while introducing the recipe online. “Jeongol is meant to simmer right at the table, and that’s part of the magic. The broth bubbles away while everyone gathers around. I love how interactive it feels. It’s cozy and meant to be shared. This isn’t just soup — it’s dinner with a whole communal vibe.”

Besides the marinated beef, or bulgogi, Esther’s hot pot features a garlicky, umami-forward broth, plus cabbage, onions, scallions, kabocha squash, sweet potato glass noodles and a bounty of wild mushrooms. Oh yes, plus one other ingredient that will now forever bring a smile to our face each time we think of, cook with or eat it: bok choy.

“As you know, my last name is ‘Choi.’ My dad’s name is ‘Bok.’ ‘Bok Choi.’ I’m dead serious right now,” Esther said with a smile. “So back in the day, a lot of my friends used to call me ‘Baby Bok Choi.’ I totally embraced it!”

We give her friends' cleverness, as well as Esther’s chill and cheerful reaction to the moniker, five stars. And as the Chois begin savoring the jeongol at the center of their table, the sisters agree that this dish is worthy of five stars too.

Turns out, the playful pet names don’t stop there. In fact, Esther, her partner, Joshua, and their son, Leonardo, share their newly renovated New York City apartment with Persimmon. That’s their dog. So sweet.

Until you can invite THE Baby Bok Choi to your table (a home cook can dream!), you can welcome some actual bok choy by trying Esther’s Bulgogi Mushroom Jeongol.